Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Snoodles, the Dragon-Slayer

Are you a confident quilter? Or are there some fearsome dragons lurking about?

I bet you are shaking your head . . . "She's really gone off her crumpet now," you're saying. (Don't ya love some of the lines in Mary Poppins? Grin)

No, I haven't gone off my crumpet! And I bet you will recognize some of these bad boys when you hear their names! (Some of 'em are going to sound very much like dinosaurs . . . that's just part of the game.)

Intimid-actyl

This ne'er do well swoops down and whispers in your ear (his breath is terrible), reminding you about the talented designers and bloggers out there. He makes you feel really intimidated, which can stop you in your tracks if you are trying to design something new and different . . .

Neverbefore-asaurus

This bad boy pours out the negative vibes, and doesn't hesitate to mention that you have never. done. that. before. And of course, the implication is that you'll be terrible at it, if you take your courage in your hands and give it a try.

Noskill-ceratops

This sturdy looking dude is another bummer waiting to happen. All he wants to talk about is how you don't have the skills to attempt what you want to try. Nope. Don't got 'em. Don't got the tools, either.

Fearus-maximus

Ole' Fearus is a master at making you quake in your boots. He has a lot of well-worn lines, like: "Aren't you scared to cut into those fat quarters? You know they are out of print, now. If you make a mistake, you'll be sorry . . . "

Diss-raptor

See those eyes? That is the color you'll be seeing when he finishes talking. He's going to tell you about the comments that people will leave . . . about how they already saw this on someone else's blog (and they did it better), and how your craftsmanship is sadly lacking, and lots of other really sweet things. According to him, there are a lot of harpies out there, ready to dice you into little bits with their comments.

I will part with the secret to my success in slaying these dragons, if you like. Ya want to hear it? Lean closer. Yeah, right up next to the screen, so you'll hear.

I JUST JUMPED IN AND DID IT!!!!!

That's a real revelation, isn't it? (Grin) Here's the story . . . I was asked to write a guest post for the blog of a talented designer and art quilter. First thing you know, here comes Mr. Intimi-dactyl, and intimidation sets in. Then I started thinking about what I would try to do for the post, and Mr. Neverbefore-asaurus starts in with all his negative vibes. Then Mr. Noskill-ceratops and Mr. Fearus-maximus tag-teamed me, and by the time Mr. Diss-raptor pointed his red eyes my way, I was down for the count.

But this talented designer was encouraging, and she let me have way more time than she should have --- she knew I was struggling.

So I figured that instead of being intimidated by her skills and talent, I would be inspired by them. FWUMP!! (That was Mr. Intimi-dactyl hitting the ground.)

Then I told myself that there are many things that I have done in my life, that I had to learn how to do --- and it all starts with taking that very first step: jumping in and starting the project! CRASH!!! (That was Mr. Neverbefore-saurus falling flat on his dragony face.)

Next I took on that tag-team; I researched the technique that I wanted to use, and got out some out-of-print fabrics that I thought would work well. DOUBLE SPLAT!!!! (That was Mr. Noskill-ceratops and Mr. Fearus-maximus colliding with each other and falling unconscious.)

Lastly, I told Mr. Diss-Raptor that I knew the virtual quilting community was not filled with folks who would insult me, but people who would encourage me, and appreciate the effort that I put into the project. BOOM!!! (That was Mr. Diss-Raptor keeling over in a faint.)

Now, if you would like to see the project that all of this story-telling was about, just pop over to Jackie's blog, at Jackie's Art Quilts and see what I jumped in and did!

But before you pop over there, tell me --- have you slain any dragons lately?

(No dragons were harmed as a result of this blog post, and any similarities between the dragons in this story and any dragons living or dead, is purely coincidental.)

AWESOME job. You always make me laugh (in a good way) but this time I was SO engrossed in your tutorial (which is FABULOUS!!) that by the end I am super glad she reminded us of the giveaway, because I totally forgot there was one!!!

You are a riot! The only dragons I have slayed lately is my fear of paper piecing - I have done it once or twice in the past (even a tutorial for a block on my blog) but I think I have finally figured out how to conquer that fear. Can't wait to see your post!!!

Yes I have slain some dragons lately, first I mastered FMQ feathers and now I have done some foundation piecing and let me tell you the thought of doing foundation piecing use to bring me out in hives!! I am not scared of it anymore, it's not my favourite form of entertainment but I wont be put of doing it again. Next thing is mastering zips - oh no - here come those hives!! xx

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